Frequency division system



July 25, 1933. R L PAG; -r 1,919,251

FREQUENCY DIVI S ION SYSTEM --Mlhhhhllhhhhllllh /IVPUT ATTORNEY Patented YJ-uly 25, 1933 fum-'TED Snxsrll;s

ROBERT M. PAGE AND WESTLEY ncunT-Is, or` wASHING'romrIs'rnicr or `coInJivnSIAI y .Y FREQUENCY DIVISION SYSTEM appucationvniea neemtrf'zi, 193. seriaim'. 504,694. y

GRANTED UNDER rma ner or Manon a, less, As AMENDED 'APRIL 301928; 37o o. G.m7`57") l Our invention relates broadly tofrequency division' and more particularly to 4a g circuit arrangement 'employing' a gas tube' for'effect ing`a division inthe frequency ofV energy ap-` plied to the circuit of the tube.

One of the objects of our vinvention isto providea circuit arrangement for an osc1llator including ay gaseous discharge tubefor effecting a division in frequency of the energy applied tube." l 'Another object of our invention is to provide a glow discharge tube for effecting division Vin frequency of energyappliedto the glow discharge tube circuiti.' y

vStill another object of ourinvention is to tothe circuit ofthe gaseous' discharge provide acircuitarrangement for aneon tube having provision for dlvidmg theV frequency ofthe energyl applied to the tube' circuit and delivering the divided frequency to an output system. s

Other and further objects of our'invention ment f@embodying our invention; `and Figa` '2v illustrates a modified 'circuit 'arrangement embodying our invention.`

'Our' invention is directed to a frequency division circuit employing a threeelectrode tube where the electrodes areimmersed in 'aj gas .at low-pressure. operating as a glowdis-Yv chargeV tube. A neon ltube may beernployedY in the'circuit arrangement of our invention and connectedfor thev production of oscillations inaccordancewith thecircuits shown inFigsland'2.

"Aeneon tube oscillator works between two critical voltages, the so-called upper and lower critical Vlvoltages. In theusual arrange-4 ment the neon tube is connected in'parallel with the condenser and thecombinationis connected toa battery through a resistance.

This arrangement Vis represented in' Fig;V 1

wherein reference character V1 designatesan outputA circuitV resistance connected in series PATENTFFICE 1 With Vbattery 72. and'to the anode 4" through resistance 3. The electrodest and 5 are the electrodes offthetube.r between whichthe discharge takes place, the .electrode 5 constitut ing a cathode. `rAn auXiliaryfcircui't including' a condenser Gand aresistance' 7' is connected between electrode 5 and a vpoint/8iny teV the'an'ode circuit as shown. When the battery is'vfirst connected tothe circuit, condenser 6 begins to charge throughresistance 7 Vvaccording Ato fthe well' known4 experiential law. I battery2 Vis suiiiciently large, at a delinitel time to the voltage across" the condenser reaches a value which will cause thetube to flash" over. This valueis called" the upper critical voltage. lVhen the tube 10 flashes, thecondcnser discharges through the tube. ,It` resistance l is sufficientlylarge,`A itl-jI will so limitthe current furnished from the-potential source 2 that the voltage acrossthe condenser 7U falls so low that the. discharge is 'nolonger maintained. This voltage is called the lowerV critical voltage. -VVhenthis voltageisreached y l the discharge ceases andthe condenser begins to charge-up again, reaching the lupper critical voltage at a certain-time ,ha The cycleis thus complete and repeats itself with a The use of the third'or control electrode llandits associated'circuit can nowbeexfV pla-ined. Small changes inthe potentiall of this vauxiliary electrodell produce large changes in'the critical voltages. Accord-:- ingly the third "electrode 11 is connected through coupling resistance 12 andbattery 14 toelectrode 5 of the tubel 10. The valuey have convenient values. i, vA suicient voltage of thefrequency which isf-to be divi'dediis' Y `impressed across resistance 12 constituting v the input Vcircuit to the system; Now when the vvoltageacross condenser' 6` is rising. toe-"1y` wards the upper -critical=voltage,1a voltage Apeak on grid electrode 11 will lower the'criti'- y calvoltage until it e ualsthe voltage acrossV the' condenser, starting thedischargejA definite number of cycleslater,anothervoltagegpeak on grid electrode l1 again starts the discharge. Hence the period of the neon tube oscillator is an integral multiple of the period of thevoltageimpressed on 12, and

f the frequency of the neon tube oscillator inust be the frequency of this impressed voltage divided by an integer. The neon tube loscillator .will function in afmanner similar to the aboveV :if the condenser is connected across the resistancerinstead of across the tube. Fig. 2 shows an arrangement similar kto Fig. ly exceptthat the condenser 6 is connected Vacross the outputl resistance l in serieswitli resistance 7. as 'shown.- This circuitv alsoifunctions as a frequency divider. Resistance 3 and 7 may be given whatever value is found to yield most satisfactory oper. ation.

' The energy on -which the; circuits must operate for effecting-,a division in frequency is introduced at the terminals l5 marked input, while the energy which has been divided is withdrawn at the circuit terminals marked 16 constituting the output system of the circuitV arrangement of our invention. The energy which is applied at circuit terminalsl f across` the potentiometer or resistance l2 controls .the operation of the `frequency division y circuit in the manner heretofore described.

' While we have described our invention in certain preferred embodiments, we desire that it be understood that modifications may beinade and that no limitations upon our invention are intended other than are iinl posed bythe scope of the appended claims.

.The yinvention herein vdescribed may be manufactured and used by orv for the Grov-Vv v ernment of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon.

between said cathode and said anode of said4 gas discharge tube, a source of potential connected in said output circuit, a resistance element in said output circuit,Y an auxiliar-y circuit connected between said cathode and said anode, said auxiliary circuit including a condenser connected'to discharge across said cathode and anode for eifecting a. Vdivisionin frequency of energy applied across theV ref sistance in said input circuit, and means for -deriving energy atsaid divided frequency.

across the resistance in said output circuit.

21 In a'frequency'division system, a gas` discharge tube including acathode, an anode and a control electrode, an input system connected between said cathode and said control electrode of said gas discharge tube, a`

source of constant potential connected in said input circuit, a resistance element in saidl input circuit, an 'output systemconnected between said cathode andsaid anode of said glow discharge tube, a source of potential connected in said output circuit, a resistance element in said output circuit, and an auxil-v iary circuit connected between said cathode and said anode,fsaidVv auxiliary circuit including a condenser operating to discharge across said cathode and anode at a predetermined critical voltage undery charging conditions from said input circuit for effectingja division in frequency ofthe energy applied across i theres'istance in said input circuit and means for deriving energy at saiddivided frequencynacross the resistance in said output circuit. p

3. A frequency-,division system compris! ing a gaseous discharge tube including av cathode, ananode'and a control electrode, an

input circuit connected lacross said cathode i yand control electrode,.a resistance disposed in'series in saidinput circuit, a Vcircuitifor applying the energy adapted to be acted upon by the frcquencydivision process across said resistance, an outputcircuit connectedacross saidanode and cathode, said output circuit in cludinga resistance anda'sourceof poten! tial connected'sin series, an auxiliary circuit yconnected with said cathodeand anode, `said auxiliary circuit including an impedance .elenient Aand condenser disposed lin series, said condenser operating to receive a charge from said source of potential for discharging across said'anode and cathode for effecting a` frequency division of the energy applied to said input circuit and means for transferring energy of dividedfrequency-froni said output circuit. V;

4. A frequencydivision systemk compris ing, a gaseousfdischarge tubejincluding a cathode, anode Vand control electrode, -an in put circuit connected across said cathode and control electrode, an output circuity con-i.

nected with said anode and cathode, a resistance in v said input circuit, means for applyingenergy .to said input circuit across said resistance, a source of potentialand aresistvance in said output circuit, an auxiliary ciry cuit connected across said cathode'. and anode,

lsaid auxiliary circuit includinga condenser and an impedance connected in A series, -said condenser being adapted to receive a charge from said source ofpotential and discharge at a predetermined criticalqvoltage across said anode andcathodeunder ccnditionslim; ited bythevalue of said impedancev foreffecting a division in frequency of theimpressed Y energy,.and inea-'ns for deriving-the .energy of .divided frequency across said resistance .in saidl output circuit.

- 5. In a frequency division system,a gase iso ous discharge tube includin a cathode, an

`anode and a control electro e, aninput circuit including a source of fixed potential, a. resistance in series with said source of potential, a circuit for impressing energy across said resistance for discharge across said tube, an output circuit connected with said cathode and anode and including a-source of potential for ionizing the path between said electrodes, a resistance in said output circuit, y

and an auxiliary circuit connected between said cathode and anode, sald auxiliary circuit ,including' a condenser and 'a series convnected impedance, said Vcondenser operating to receive acharge suiicient'to produce a potential equal to the upperv critical nvoltage of said tube and .effecting a division in frequency of theapplied potential and connections to the resistance in said output circuit;-l for receivingthe energy` subsequent. to said frequency division operation.

ROBERT M. PAGE. y l WESTLEY F. CURTIS. 

